Key campaign pledges from the election trail

Prime Minister Stephen Harper pots plants with the help of Tim Van Duyvendyk during a campaign stop in Winnipeg, Tuesday March 29, 2011.

Adrian Wyld

RITA TRICHUR

Published March 30, 2011Updated March 26, 2017

Conservatives:

Resurrect a budget proposal to create a one-year hiring credit to help small businesses take on new employees.

The credit, of up to $1,000, would be applied against a small employer's increase in EI premiums for 2011, over 2010 levels. It would be available to employers whose total EI premiums were $10,000 or less in 2010 and would be expected to reduce payrolls costs for 525,000 firms.

Crack down on "excessive transaction charges" paid by merchants to process credit cards. Also regulate those processing fees by converting the federal government's new voluntary code of conduct for the debit and credit-card industries into law.

Liberals:

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Navdeep Bains, the Liberal critic for small business, vowed to reintroduce a private member's bill to lessen the regulatory load on small businesses if re-elected.